Introduction: When Global Strategy Meets Local Reality
In this article, I want to share my personal experience with SEO marketing failures in the Japanese market. Although the events I describe took place more than five years ago, the foundational principles of SEO haven’t changed dramatically. In fact, the lessons I learned during that time are still highly relevant today.
From 2015 to 2020, I worked as both a content manager and SEO manager for a global company operating in Europe, South America, and across Asia. The company’s main marketing strategy involved content marketing, closely tied to SEO and social media. Our approach was to create large volumes of articles, optimize them for SEO keywords, and share them via social media platforms.
While I eventually succeeded in improving traffic and content quality by the end of my tenure, much of our earlier strategy failed—especially due to critical missteps common in global organizations trying to localize SEO. In this article, I’ll explain what went wrong and the lessons I took from it.
1. Relying Too Heavily on Translated Content
What went wrong:
- Overuse of translated articles
- Ignoring keyword search volume in Japanese
- Creating content that didn’t match local demand
Our company wanted to scale content production quickly and cheaply. One way to do that was by translating high-performing content from other regions and reusing it in Japan. While translation is faster and cheaper than creating original content, it came with major problems.
Many of the translated articles were based on topics that had virtually no search volume in Japan. In other words, these articles addressed issues or interests that were simply irrelevant to the local audience. As a result, they didn’t generate any search traffic, nor did they resonate with users who came via social media or newsletters. Those users rarely returned.
In the end, we were left with a large collection of articles that didn’t match user intent, didn’t get searched, and didn’t contribute to business growth. In theory, content should become an asset over time—something that continually attracts users. But in our case, it became a liability: content that cost money to produce but delivered no value.
Lesson: Always verify local keyword search volume and market demand before choosing article topics. Don’t rely on translated content unless it has clear relevance to the new market.
2. Chasing Rankings with Low-Quality Content
What went wrong:
- Producing low-quality articles
- Damaging brand image through weak content
One of the biggest challenges I faced was the mismatch between the number of articles we were expected to produce and the limited budget available. The company believed translated content would allow us to scale cheaply, which led to very low investment in Japanese content production.
Because of the high volume, I couldn’t personally review or control the quality of every article. As a result, some poorly written content ended up ranking high in search results. While that might sound like a win, it wasn’t.
In Japan, brand trust is extremely important. Users often judge a company based on the perceived quality and credibility of its content. So when low-quality articles appeared in search results, it actually harmed our brand reputation instead of helping it.
If the content had been high-quality and informative, it could have acted as a form of free advertising—building trust and loyalty. But poor content did the opposite.
Lesson: SEO content is an extension of your brand. Ensure that high-ranking content reflects your company’s values and standards. If you must publish low-quality or generic content, consider using noindex tags to prevent it from appearing in search results.
3. Ignoring Conversions and Business Goals
What went wrong:
- No clear conversion goals
- Creating high-traffic content unrelated to the business
At the time, our SEO goal was simple: get as much traffic as possible from search engines. But we didn’t clearly define what kind of traffic we needed. As a result, we ended up generating a lot of visits from users who had no interest in our products or services.
Some of the articles targeted high-volume keywords that were completely unrelated to our offerings. Even if those pages attracted visitors, they had zero chance of converting into customers.
Conversely, content related to our services—though lower in search volume—could have attracted users with genuine interest and much higher conversion potential.
Lesson: Set clear business objectives for SEO. Focus on attracting users who are likely to convert, even if that means targeting lower-volume, more relevant keywords.
4. What I Learned from These Failures in Japanese SEO Marketing
After managing and editing content for five years, I came to believe that many of our potential successes were lost due to these early missteps. Here’s what I learned:
- Set proper goals for your SEO strategy. Don’t pursue traffic for its own sake.
- Understand the local market—know what your users want and how they search.
- Build trust through high-quality content. In Japan, credibility plays a key role in brand success.
- Think long-term. Content is not just a short-term marketing tactic—it’s an asset.
Today, I apply these lessons in my SEO work for the Japanese market. We focus on building trust, delivering value, and creating content that actually matters to users. This approach has allowed us to grow not just traffic, but loyal users and brand recognition.
Of course, I wouldn’t have learned any of this without making mistakes first. Now, I view those failures as one of the most valuable parts of my career.